"John has been a pleasure to work with on the board and in the Executive Committee. The more I’ve gotten to know John, the more I appreciate his skills." --Brett LaDove, Past President, Institute of Management Consultants

Behavioral Science

"I find it fantastic how I can just throw you into almost anything and you use your knowledge of process and technical organizations to do the job well." --Jennifer Selby Long, Owner, Selby Group

Customer Loyalty

John helped Visa evolve its cardmember loyalty platform to enhance credit market adoption and attract large financial institutions to its loyalty offerings.

Thoughts on Strategy

Strategy - The Leader's Prime Imperative

There are many things in an organization that a leader can and should relegate, but when it comes to strategy, the buck goes nowhere. It is the leader’s prime imperative to ensure the organization has a sound strategy that will guide the company to its desired future. A good strategy involves a strong vision of where your organization needs to be in the next three to five years, and a clear mission that brings everybody together on the company’s reason for existence.

One thing that’s often missing however, is a clear understanding of the organization’s driving force. Your company’s driving force brings focus to your competitive advantage. It informs all the functional parts of your strategy including your product/market mix and the key capabilities that will need to be built to support your vision. A company with an unclear driving force will typically commit valuable, scarce resources behind products, services, and markets that are antithetical to its vision. When this happens, there’s no chance for the organization to grow properly, and they unnecessarily expose themselves to more strategic competition.

most companies spend most of their energy and resources on formulation, then put little thought to implementation. The reality is--implementation is 80% of the results

Just having a strategy isn’t enough. In fact, most companies spend most of their energy and resources on formulation, then put little thought to implementation. The reality is--implementation is 80% of the results, not formulation! The key to strategic implementation is mapping high-altitude strategic goals down to the runway where results happen. There must be clear lineage in where every project and process fits in the overall strategy.

Finally, leaders often overlook their culture when formulating and implementing strategies. This is a huge mistake. Whether you know it or not, your organization has a unique culture that has a lot more force in driving the organization’s direction, than your stated strategy. This is especially relevant when installing or changing the organization’s strategy, as your culture can help or harm your chances of success. A cultural assessment is a quick way to get a read on your internal strengths and weaknesses, and there are specific interventions that can be done to make sure your culture aligns to your strategic direction.

Of course, this is just general advice—but good advice. Contact us today if you’d like to chat more about your organization’s strategy.

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Enterprise Data Strategy, Visa Inc.

At Visa, Inc. John mobilized and managed the company's enterprise data strategy, consisting of 150 projects over 45 initiatives and 5 major tracks galvanizing the company's vision and mission in its use of data and information. John worked with several consultants at Deloitte to transition the formulated strategy, then brought the strategy to life through evangelism, intense risk management, executive communication, and development of operational processes and program architecture.

Arturo Munoz, Hitachi Data Systems

"I recollect John's useful involvement in the projects I sponsored, where his amiable and very helpful attitude during requirements gathering phases ensured we could glean valuable application design insights. "

Certified Management Consultant

CMC® (Certified Management Consultant) is the certification mark awarded by the Institute of Management Consultants USA and represents meeting the highest global standards and ethical canons of the profession. Fewer than 1% of all consultants have achieved this level of excellence.